Introduction and Ice Breaker
Name some of your personal heroes… why do you look up to them?
Themes to Consider
Which life is the good life?
Who is truly a good person?
What is Jesus revealing about His kingdom through this sermon?
Exodus - from the way of the world to the kingdom of God
Discussion Questions
How do you think “blessed” is defined in culture?
How do you react to how Jesus defines being blessed in this sermon?
What about the beatitudes appeals to the longings of your soul?
Guided Prayer
Silence / Remove distractions as much as you can and spend two minutes (time it, if helpful) in silence, noticing your body, your emotions and thoughts. Perhaps use a simple phrase to pray silently so that you stay focused.
Adoration / Spend some time describing the beauty of Jesus as he embodied this teaching himself. Confess your pursuits of blessedness outside of Jesus.
Thanksgiving / Thank God for making a way in which you could access the kingdom of Heaven.
Supplication / Pray for our world to start aligning more with Jesus’ description of the kingdom. Pray for your family, your work, your school, your neighborhood.
Supplemental Content
It’s a beautifully succinct summary of a culture with a historical amnesia of it’s once-upon-a-time countercultural Christian foundations built to support the social virtues of justice, mercy, dignity, and beauty – all under the umbrella of the 2nd Greatest Commandment to “Love Thy Neighbor.” Tolerance, diversity, inclusion… all are deeply and undeniably historic Christian values that have been divorced from the King who defined their cosmic depth, direction, meaning, and scope. —Brad Edwards, The Church of Individualism
The Beatitudes, in particular, are not teachings of how to be blessed… they are explanations and illustrations, drawn from the immediate setting, of the present availability of the Kingdom through personal relationship with Jesus. They single out cases that provide proof that, in him, the rule of God from the heavens truly is available in life circumstances that are beyond all human hope. —Dallas Willard
The common assumption of the time, as in many times since, was the prosperity of the rich indicated God’s special favor… [The Beatitudes] serve to clarify Jesus fundamental message: the free availability of God’s rule and righteousness to all of humanity through reliance upon Jesus himself, the person now loose in the world among us. They do this simply by taking those who from the human point of view, are regarded as most hopeless, most beyond all possibility of God's blessing or even interest, and exhibiting them as enjoying God’s touch and abundant provision from the heavens. —Dallas Willard
It is impossible to separate Jesus’ ethic from allegiance to his person. —Craig Blomberg
